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Students and faculty at West High School are hurting after a high school student died in an accident while driving home from a basketball tournament.
Alyssa Lopez was 17 years old and by all accounts full of promise.
She was a cheerleader, a good student and very friendly.
Tomorrow, students will write memories of Alyssa Lopez on mailing labels and stick them to plastic cups. They'll use those cups to spell out Alyssa's name on a fence.
Today, however, there was grief at West High as many students heard for the first time what happened.
One student fell to the ground in shock, and some students held their heads in their hands. West High School Principal Margery Parker said, "I can describe her as a really good kid. She had a lot of friends."
A friend of Lopez said, "She had such a big heart. She was always there for anyone." She said Lopez had dreams of law school.
Parker spoke about 17-year-old Alyssa Lopez this morning, as well as the two other West High students who were injured. She said, "There's a lot for students who knew them, who loved them, who continue to love them."
Lopez's mother also visited the school today, flanked on either side by friends of her daughter; an example of how many lives can change so quickly. "It's really tragic because for teenagers, it takes one moment to make a decision and the affect lasts an entire lifetime," Parker said.
Just yesterday, Lopez was cheering at a state basketball tournament in Ogden with her varsity team. Following the game she was with two friends.
Police say another car with five Granger High School students tried to catch up and clipped the car Lopez was riding in, spinning into oncoming traffic, killing Lopez. Dan Snarr, Granger High School assistant principal, said, "Heartfelt things go out to West High School. Tragedy, any kind of tragedy with kids like this is terrible."
Granger High School also had grief counselors on hand today. Some of the five involved in the accident opted to come to school, and along with other students, speak with the counselors. Others stayed home. Snarr said, "It's a pretty tight thing right now and close to their hearts. They're kinda staying to themselves."
Salt Lake School District spokesman Jason Olsen said, "Each student will handle this case differently. Some may not want to talk at all. Some may want to talk to friends. Some may just want to laugh about memories from the past. You know, it's all OK."
A documentary about Alyssa will also be shown at school tomorrow. Obviously, a lot of students will be mourning privately as well.
The Utah Department of Health says while teenagers only make up seven percent of licensed drivers, they are involved in 27 percent of all accidents. Stacy Johnson, of the Salt Lake Valley Health Department, says that can be attributed to a number of factors, including teens' lack of judgment, lack of experience and peer pressure.
Becca Olbrys is a student body officer involved in a seatbelt safety program at Cyprus High. She says the purpose of the program is to make students aware of how distracted driving and bad habits can really affect their safety.
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